


Conservation

by poisontaster



Series: Finding Serenity [4]
Category: Firefly
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Female Character of Color, Ficlet, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-17
Updated: 2005-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-15 04:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2215635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poisontaster/pseuds/poisontaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing is ever lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conservation

Zoë sits on the edge of the catwalk, her feet dangling off into space and thinking about mostly nothing. Serenity shudders under her, the anticipatory and somehow angry throb of their exit from atmo. 

After a time, River comes down from the cockpit. Bare feet whisper over metal, and she comes to sit at Zoë’s side, kicking the air. She has a book in her lap.

After the whole crying thing, Zoë’s done her best to avoid River much as possible, but just now she’s too damn tired to get up and walk away. River don’t seem to mind none, though it is just a tetch hard sometimes to tell exactly what River _does_ mind.

River opens the book and riffles through the musty pages. There are no new books on Serenity, and no money to buy more. She is seemingly content to let the silence lie and Zoë’s just as glad. Talking requires more brainpower than she seems to have.

“This is science,” River says finally, and Zoë rolls her eyes and head sideways to look at where River’s pointing. The book is one of physics, arcane and archaic. “See?” River taps the page for emphasis, equations like star charts and just ‘bout as understandable. “Conservation. It’s a law. Nothing left to chance, nothing lost.”

Zoë shakes her head. “River, I don’t understand.”

River gives her that _look_ , equal parts irritation and frustration. She reaches out and puts one hand on Zoë’s armor, over her stomach, dark lunatic eyes catching Zoë’s like a singularity. _“No energy is ever lost.”_


End file.
